Juan Jesús Méndez is one of the producers behind the recovery of local grape varieties in the Canary Islands. He started Viñátigo in 1990 with hundred-year-old plants in the Cabo Verde vineyard and made his first wines at the old cellar of his grandparents' house in La Guancha (north of Tenerife). While in the early years the aim was to improve winemaking standards for the region's main grapes (Listán Blanco and Listán Negro), the new winery built on the outskirts of the village in the late 1990s allowed him to delve into the rich diversity of varieties grown in the archipelago to bottle separately the likes of Gual, Marmajuelo, Vijariego (red and white), Malvasía, Negramoll, Tintilla or Baboso Negro.
In some cases, plant material came from El Hierro, the most isolated of the Canary Islands and a true reservoir of grape varieties. Between 2003 and 2011, Méndez launched Tanajara with other partners in El Hierro and brought some attention to Baboso Negro -known as Bruñal in Arribes (Castilla y León) and Verdejo Negro in Asturias (northern Spain).
Viñátigo owns 16 hectares distributed across 19 villages such as San Juan de la Rambla, Garachico or La Guancha. They also buy grapes from 50 purveyors who grow mainly Listán Blanco and Listán Negro. Recovered varieties are almost entirely sourced from their own vineyards which are planted in various locations and elevations ranging from sea level up to 1,000 metres. Sustainable farming is the norm here -no herbicides or fungicides are used- and grapes are harvested by hand.
Some varieties require specific locations. “Fruit setting doesn’t work well for Malvasía Aromática grown at high elevation where ripening is also complicated due to the rains,” says Méndez. In coastal vineyards the cycle may go until October so they can pick overripe grapes to produce a late harvest white. This sweet Malvasía (€26 for a 50 cl. bottle) is the only wine in the range sold under the DO Ycoden-Daute-Isora seal; the rest bear the indication DOP Islas Canarias.
The winery in La Guancha, which recreates the shape of a volcanic cone, was built sustainably using local materials. Around 20 different wines resulting into 150,000 bottles are produced here.
Grapes are kept in cold storage before fermenting in concrete and stainless steel vats using as many yeast starters as grape varieties are picked. Short macerations and gentle pigeage extractions or sprinkler showers are the norm for reds.
Viñátigo has just revamped its range with new labels. The entry-level wines made with Listán Blanco and Listán Negro (a red and a rosé) are now part of its wide range of varietals together with whites Marmajuelo, Gual, Vijariego Blanco and Malvasía Aromática (apart from the late harvest mentioned above, there is a semi-sweet “Afrutado” made with this grape) and reds Negramoll, Baboso Negro and Vijariego Negro. Retail prices in Spain range from €11 in the case of the three Listán wines to €16-€19 for the rest with Baboso Negro reaching €25. The winemaking philosophy is to bring to the forefront the distinctive expression of the landscape, the grape varieties and the island’s volcanic soils.
Two blends, a white and a red (between 3,000 and 4,000 bottles each, around €23 in Spain), try to express further complexity. While the first one includes varying percentages of Gual, Marmajuelo, Vijariego Blanco, Malvasía Aromática and Verdello the red one blends Baboso Negro, Tintilla, Vijariego Negro and Negramoll. The varieties, in decreasing order of quantity, are listed on the label with their initials. Two pet-nats are also produced: a white made with Gual (€23) and a red blend with Tintilla and Baboso Negro (€32).
Viñátigo’s most widely available wines are made with Listan Blanco and Listán Negro (around 40,000 bottles of each), whereas the varietal range includes between 5,000 and 7,000 bottles and the two cuvées are limited to 3,000 to 4,000 bottles.
40% of the wines are exported -the US (the importer in this country is David Bowler), Belgium, Canada and Switzerland are the main markets. 45% is sold in the Canary Islands and only 15% reaches the Spanish mainland due to the high shipping costs equating it virtually to a foreign market. According to Juan Jesús, the fact that Spain is a very traditional market makes it difficult to introduce grape varieties with different aromas and strongly marked by the character of volcanic soils. "Other countries are more welcoming and open to trying new things," he points out.
Viñátigo is distributed in mainland Spain by Bodega Abierta. The wines can be found in their small store in the Malasaña district in Madrid or online.
Photo credits: Julia Laich
